What participants say …

Hoopla Rack,
third place and $4,000,
2008 Schoofs Prize for Creativity;
third place and $700,
Tong Prototype Prize;
and Younkle Best Presentation Award

“Through the whole process, I actually began to see my design turn into a prototype, and now my prototype might actually become a patented reality. By the end, I was so happy that I had chosen to take a chance on myself and do something that brought my engineering and hooping life together.”

—Danielle McIntosh

Pen Smart,
$1,000 Judges’ Award for Special Merit,
2008 Schoofs Prize for Creativity

“I thought of this product two years ago—I wrote it down and kind of forgot about it for awhile. And I realized that if I didn’t do it, I’d always regret it, so I just decided to pursue it. The competition is a great outlet for anyone interested in innovation and development. The experience gives you the tools to develop the idea and the confidence to continue.”

—Daniel Gartenberg

Innovators in the news …
articles about past competitors

The EroDynamic

The EroDynamic: A device designed to expedite the installation of erosion-control blankets.

The EroDynamic (large image)

"Everything worked, but we had to make adjustments on the fly with the material that we chose. We weren't sure how they would work, so actually using the materials and cutting them down helped us figure out that even though we knew their properties, impact strength, tensile strength...when you actually physically see what that means...it can turn out completely different. It forces you to rethink how you would manufacture it."
— Elizabeth Surfus

Innovators: Brian McCall and Elizabeth Surfus

The EroDynamic (large image)